Fert maschinenbauanstalt gesellschaft mit beschrankter



No. 625,004.' Patented May l6, I899;

" n. H. A. WIEGAND & w. A. SEIFERT.

MACHINE, FOR AUTOMATICALLY TURNING BALLS.

(Application filed Sept. 25, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

m: uonms PETEPS co. PHOTOLITHO" wAsywuroN. u. c.

No. 625,004. Patented May l6, I899. H. N. A. WIEGAND 8:; W. A. SEIFEBT. MACHINE FOB AUTOMATICALLY TURNING BALLS.

(Application filed Sept. 25, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets8haet 2.

me NORRIS PETERS no. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASNINGTON, n. c.

NITED STATES 7 PATE T OFFICE.

- HERMANN HEINRICH AUGUST WIEGAND AND WILI-IELM ALFRED SEIFERT,

OF LEIPSIO-PLAGWITZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO THE WIEGAND & SEI- GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESOHRANKTER FERT MASOHINENBAUANSTALT HAFTUNG, OF SAME PLACE.

- MACHINE FOR AUTOMATICALLYTURNING BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,004, dated May 16, 1899. Application filed September 25, 1897. Serial No. 652,967. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERMANN HEINRICH AUGUST WVIEGANI), a citizen of Prussia, and WILHELM ALFRED SEIFERT, a citizen of Saxony, residing at Leipsic-Plagwitz,'Kingdomof Saxony, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Automatically Turning Balls; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the'same.

This invention relates more particularly to T5 a machine for automatically making steel balls by turning them with a profiled or shaped cutter which is provided with a number of semicircular or half-semicircular grooves of the required diameter of the balls correspond- 2o ing to the number of ballsit is desired to produce simultaneously. In the simultaneous treatment of two balls, for instance, the semi- .circular groove cuts out the ball, while the other half semicircular groove simultaneously finishes the previously roughed-out ball and cuts it off. The grooves are formed longitudinally in the side face of the tool, so that when the cutting-surface of the latter-that is to say, the end of the t0ol --isground it retains a constant profile. The use of such a shaped tool for an automatically-working machine necessitates a peculiar construction and mode of working. It is necessary that the tool be automatically brought against the rotating article to be operated on, which consists of a continuous wire or rod, and, after the completion of aball, that it be automatically again removed from the article, and,

further, that the article operated on shall be pushed forward so far that the previouslyshaped ball is brought into a suitable position to the half-semicircular groove, which effects the finishing, and that finally the tool in cutting off (when it is desired to save any subsidiary treatment of the balls as far as possible) may be so adjusted to the rotating wire or rod in a simple or certain manner that the bur, which unavoidably lies in the axis of rotation, shall after the cutting off form, to a certain extent, only a point.

The machine is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, an enlarged side view seen from the enlarged side view seen from the left-hand side'of Figs. 1 and 2. the profiled or shaped cutting-tool, which is arranged for the simultaneous treatment of two balls.

I The bed or foundation of the machine has a fixed head A, a cutting-tool H, a slide-head B, movable longitudinally of the bed, and at the end lying opposite to the head A an automatic gearing for shifting the slide-head B.

means of a nut O on a guide-spindle D and has an arm E, which travels or slides on a rod F.

The head A has a support G for the cuttingtool H, Fig. 3. The support G is movable in the head A at right angles to the axis of rotation, and a link I engages at one end with the support G, while its otherend is connected roller K of a cam-disk L. The red I consists of two parts which are provided with a right and left hand screw and may be approachedto or removed from one another by means of a sleeve or turnbuckle M. This arrangement has for its object to allow the distance of the cutter, or, in other words, its cutting edge fromthe axis of rotation, to be exactly adjusted in order to form on the ball when out 01f as small a bur as possible. It is evident that the exact adjustment of the cutter may be altered by simply rotating the sleeve or turnbuckle M. while the machine is running. A spring N is attached to the support G, which spring exerts its impulse on the roller K in such a way that this roller is always pressed to the left of Fig. 3 and against the volves, gradually moving the tool H to the right, Fig. 3, until the innermost portion of right-hand side of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4, an'

with a lever which is guided by means of a' Figs. 5, 6, and 7 show The slide head or carriage B is mounted by cam-surface of the cam-disk L. The roller travels on the spiral cam L as the cam rethe cam-curve is reached. At this point the roller is free to move to the left under action of the spring N, withdrawing the tool H from the work and bringing the roller against the outermost portion of the cam-surface. The cam-surface, as shown, is a circle for a portion of the revolution, and then it becomes a spiral, gradually approaching its innermost balls an uneven surface; but the treatment of the balls takes place quite evenly and smoothly.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a chuck or clutch holder P holds or carries the steel wire X, which is inserted at the other end in a suitable aperture in the head A. On the spindle of this chuck or clntch holder a belt-pulley Q is mounted and sets the steel wire in rotation. The belt-pulley Q also imparts the various movements for the parts working together for the automatic treatment, and this takes place in the following way:

A spur-wheel R, mounted on the shaft F, is operated by means of the cog-wheels R R R and rotates the shaft F, and therewith the cog-wheels S and T, mounted on its ends. The wheel S engages with a wheel S, which is connected with the aforesaid cam-disk L. The wheel T engages with a cog-wheel T,

which is firmly connected with a pear-shaped cam U, Fig. 4. The camU operates the roller V of an elbow-lever V, the other end of which is connected by means of a link V with an elbow-lever V The elbow-lever V has a pawl V which engages in a cog or ratchet wheel W. Theratchet-wheelWengageswith a cog-wheel W, mounted on the guide-spindle D, screw-threaded, as is usual, (and as graphically indicated by the double lines in the drawings.) It is evident that by this movement the guide-spindle, and with it the slide head B, is moved to a certain extent. The extent of this movement corresponds to the actual diameter of the balls which are to be cut off. In order that the cog-wheel R may follow the longitudinal movement of the slidehead on the spindle F, the spindle F is provided with a groove or splineway, in which a suitable feather or key of the cog-wheel R engages.

The mode of working of the machine is briefly as follows: Supposing the slide-head B be at the left end of the machine-bed, a piece of round steel about equal in length to the machine-bed is gripped in the chuck or grip holderP and its other end passed through the aperture in the head A and allowed. to rest against the counter-support O. The profiled tool H is then in this position farthest from the work-piece. If the holder or chuck P, and with it the steel wire, be now rotated by means of the belt-pulley Q, then the spurwheel R, the shaft F, spur-wheels S S, and with the latter the cam-disk L, will all be simultaneously rotated by means of the cog wheels R R R tated the roller K travels along the spiral curve and the support G is moved by the rod I to the work-piece against the action of the spring N, so that the cutting-tool penetrates gradually, according to the pitch of the curve, into the rotating article to be operated on, so long as the roller K is guided in the curve L. As soon as the roller quits the curve L the support, with the cutting-tool, moves back ward under the action of the spring N, having then cut off a ball and the next adjacent ball is operated on. While the tool moves backward the roller V at the other end of the machine travels on the elongated projection of the pear-shaped cam U and causes thereby the levers V V V pawl V toothed wheels W and W, and the guide-spindle D to describe a brief rotation,which causes the slidehead B to move on the machine-bed to an extent equal to the diameter of the balls which are to be formed. As soon as this longitudinal movement has ended the cutting-tool returns again and commences to move against the article to be operated on inorder to out off a fresh ball and to treat or shape another one, 850.

From the above it is evident that the machine works automatically in a simple and certain manner perfectly as long as the steel wire is operated on, the length of the said wire being not greater than that of the machine-bedthat is to say, until the slide-head B, with the chuck P, has been pushed forward up to the fixed head A. The slide=head B is then returned by hand to the starting-point and a fresh piece of steel wire inserted.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the cutting-tool II is provided with longitudinal grooves of semicircular form corresponding exactly to the balls to be made. In case two balls are to be simultaneously treated, the tool has two points 1 and 2, the shorter, 2, of which cuts out the ball preliminarily, while the longer one, 1, outs to the middle of the steel wire-that is to say, cuts off the ball.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, We declare that what we claim is 1. A machine for turning balls, having the following elements in combination: a traveling head B, a rotary spindle and holder P carried thereby, a rotary shaft F, driving connections connected to slide along the shaft F with the head B and rotate the spindle and holder, a feed-shaft D for giving travel to the head B, a tool-support for holding the tool against the rod, bar or other work that may be held in and rotated by the said spindle and holder, a rotary cam and connections for intermittently moving the tool-support to On the cam-disk being r0 and from the Work, means for adjusting the tool-support connections to regulate the limit of the movement of the tool toward the work, and means for intermittently actuating the said feed-shaft D, the said elements being mechanically connected, and the head B, feed-shaft D, tool-support and cam being timed as follows: the tool-support timed to move to and from the work while the head B is stationary, the head B and the feed-shaft D being timed to act while the tool is away from the work, substantiallyvas set forth.

2. In combination in a machine for automatically turning articles, a rotary clutch or holder, for the material to be operated upon, a tool for turning said articles, mechanism for intermittently moving the said rotary clutch or holder relatively to the said tool,

. consisting of a cam, cam roller, ratchet-wheel,

and pawl, with actuating connections between the said wheel and said rotary clutch or holder, and means for turning the said clutch or holder, consisting of a spline-shaft mechanically actuated, a gear splined thereto but movable longitudinally thereon, connections between the said gear and said holder for causing the gear to travel longitudinally with and in fixed relation to said holder, and gearing for turning said holder connected with and actuated by said gear, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination in a machine for turning balls or other bodies bounded by surfaces of revolution, a rotary chuck or holder for the material to be turned, means for intermittently moving the material lengthwise, a tool and tool-holder, mechanical connections for intermittently moving the tool-holder to and from the work, and means for lengthening or shortening the said connections to regulate the inward limit of movement of the tool, the

said tool being profiled on one of its sides, 

